Top Shelf Boutique Drinks Festival

If it wasn’t for Unilocal I would not have known about this fabulous event & the discounted tickets made it even better!!!
Top Shelf Boutique Drinks Festival is all about sampling your way around the exhibitors stands trying local and imported beers, wines & spirits. To say that I was a bit tipsy just 5 stands in would be an understatement. It was a great way to try drinks that I would never have previously considered & the exhibitors were all very friendly and knowledgeable, as you would expect them to be.
Should you feel the need you can also purchase larger beverages at some of the stalls so if you want a cocktail or a full bottle of beer the option is there. Not that more alcohol is generally required. There were a handful of food vendors there with the usual burgers and fries options to help you soak up what you’ve consumed.
I think that a complimentary bottle of water on arrival would perhaps have been a good idea, if there was free water available I didn’t find it.
All in all it was a great way to spend a few hours on a Sunday afternoon & I look forward to attending this event next year if it runs again.

For those that are serious about their booze, welcome to Top Shelf.
We first went a few years back when I believe it opened for the first time to the public, being an industry only trade show when it started, but it seems the general public still are yet to really catch onto this which is fine by me.
Tickers were heavily discounted online before the fest, which meant for the ridiculous price of $ 15 we got to sample as many top-​notch Gins, Whiskeys, Vodkas and Rums as you could without getting legless. Some stalls were super generous with their samples, others just handing out cocktails, so you get bang for your buck after 5 mins in the door. Crazy good value.
They’ve really upped their food game this year, which is great, as Meatmother and Huxtaburger were much needed to line tummies.
We left with woozy legs and many new favourite drinks. Can’t wait until next year.

I had the pleasure of visiting the first Top Shelf show in Melbourne, but hopefully not the last. Being the first show, there were some growing pains. But based on my experience I’ll be marking it on my calendar to return next year!
Pros:
–Once inside, the samples were complimentary. No stingy tasting tokens! So it was a great opportunity to try a range of different products.
— The staff were passionate about their products and I enjoyed chatting with various vendors.
— There was an interesting variety of talks and tastings. Such as, ‘The wonderful world of tiki’, ‘Japanese single malts’, and the Dead Rabbit (voted world’s best new cocktail bar.)
Cons:
— A serious lack of food inside the venue, and not even a token vegetarian option available. The organizers weren’t prepared for the unpredictable Melbourne weather and there were problems with the outdoor food trucks due to the dust and wind.
— The online registration closed early on Saturday. This seemed a little lame, given that there was a discount for booking ahead online.
— I paid for a ‘how to make an espresso martini’ talk, but wouldn’t recommend it. We booked ahead, but when we arrived the staff scrambled to find us the equipment we needed and then gave us dirty, sticky glasses to mix the drinks in. I actually had to request that they be washed. The talk was very short and only included measurements for the liquor. I could have found the same simple recipe online for free. (There was nothing about balancing flavours, etc.) And they used bottled espresso, instead of something freshly made. Granted, paying $ 10 for an espresso martini in Melbourne is a pretty great deal. But in this circumstance, I would have rather spent my time talking to other vendors and trying some of the $ 5 cocktails that other stands were offering than paying for the ‘drinks lab’.
I’ve never been a fan of the Melbourne method of charging people for tickets to an event for the ‘privilege’ of then being marketed to and paying even more money to buy things once inside. Thanks to Unilocal,I was able to attend this Top Shelf event for free. But those serious about their cocktails could still definitely get their money’s worth with the variety and quality of samples available along with the talks and tastings.